Extracted from The Franklin Sun (Winnsboro, LA)
Russell Whittington, Jr.
On May 9, 2010, Russell Whittington, Jr. passed away at home following a short illness. He was born November 3, 1927, and grew up in Franklin Parish, Louisiana. He was preceded in death by his parents, Mattie and Russell Whittington.
He is survived by his wife, Dixie McIntyre Whittington; son, Mike Whittington; daughter-in-law, Christi Whittington; grandsons, Kyle and William Whittington; sister, Pauline Fairbanks; and nephews, Carey and Ronnie Fairbanks.
During World War II Russell served as an aerographer's mate in the U.S. Coast Guard. Following his discharge from service he enrolled in college, eventually earning a bachelor's degree from Northwestern State College, a master's degree from Louisiana State University, and the PhD degree from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
He began his teaching career at Central High School in Franklin Parish, Louisiana. After six years there, he joined the mathematics faculty at Northwestern State University in Natchitoches, Louisiana. He spent twenty-four years at NSU as a teacher and administrator. Administrative positions, which he held, were Head of the Mathematics Department, Dean of Science and Technology, and Dean of Graduate Studies and Research.
He was a member of the National Speakers Bureau for the National Bureau of Standards and worked to promote a change to the metric system of measurement in the U.S. He co-authored the textbook ìAn Outline of a Total Program in Metric Educationî which was used by more than 1500 teachers during the l977-78 school year. He also directed and served as an instructor for three institutes funded by the National Science Foundation. He served as chairman and vice-chairman of the Louisiana/Mississippi section of the Mathematical Association of America and was the institutional representative of the Mathematical Association of America.
He held membership in a number of honorary and professional organizations, including the Mathematical Association of America, The National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, Louisiana Association of Mathematics Teachers, and Phi Kappa Phi.
He was an avid fisherman. In his later years his interest turned to computers. He became proficient in putting the components together for specialized uses of computers. He was particularly helpful to his wife and her friends in teaching them the basics of computer use so they were able to utilize computer programs for their sewing machines.
In accordance with his wish, a private family memorial service has been planned.
Tuesday, June 8, 2010